Friedrich Merz had a rough day after losing the first round of what is usually a ceremonial vote to pick a new chancellor before clenching the vote in the second round. Israel is choosing to block aid from getting into Gaza and upend humanitarian organizations in the process. And the Romanian elections, which are happening for a second time after the first ones were cancelled, saw the leader of the far right take the biggest slice, but a second round is on its way.

Then, in Have You Heard Headlines, Erin & Jake break down the rest of the week's headlines to keep you in the know about what is happening in the rest of the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook, or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.

Liam Kuhns provided editing assistance for the podcast.

Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, and his legacy was one of humble modesty and moderation of the church. Harvard takes on the Trump administration in court to challenge executive overreach. And Canada gears up for national elections, with the Liberal party showing up for a tighter race than was expected.

Then, in Have You Heard headlines, Erin & Jake break down the rest of the week's headlines to keep you in the know about what is happening in the rest of the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook, or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.

Liam Kuhns provided editing assistance for the podcast.

In recent weeks, several men have been sent from the U.S. to El Salvador’s CECOT prison without due process. The prison functions more as a torture facility, with prisoners kept malnourished, isolated, and as far as we can tell, no one has ever come out alive. Among them is Andrys, a gay makeup artist deported after seeking asylum in the U.S. due to tattoos that read “Mom” and “Dad.” The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia stands out: he fled gang violence, lived legally in Maryland with his American wife and child, and was deported even after a judge acknowledged the danger he faced and ordered him to be protected in the U.S. Though the conservative Supreme Court unanimously ruled he must be returned, the White House has said it cannot act for the El Salvador government, despite the fact that Trump met with El Salvador’s president just yesterday. Lawyers continue to fight, but experts say legal options are nearly gone, so political pressure is what's left.

You can go to congress.gov/contact-us to find out how to get in touch with your members of congress, and let them know that what’s going on in El Salvador is simply unacceptable.

Trump imposed taxes on goods sent from basically every other country in the world and the stock market is suffering for it. Hungary pulled out of the International Criminal Court to invite Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit. And South Korea's Constitutional Court approved Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment, with the government setting new elections.

Then, in Have You Heard Headlines, Erin & Jake go through the rest of the week's stories to keep you in the know about what else is happening out there in the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook, or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.

Liam Kuhns provided editing assistance for the podcast.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right RN party, was convicted of embezzling EU funds and sentenced to two years with an ankle monitor and five years barred from running for the French presidency. Paris held another summit for the "coalition of the willing" to support Ukraine while Trump and Putin had a micro-falling out over the ceasefire talks. And an earthquake in Southeast Asia killed thousands, bringing chaotic conditions to countries like Myanmar that are already in the midst of yearslong national crises.

Then, in Have You Heard Headlines, Erin & Jake go through the rest of the week's stories to keep you in the know about what else is happening out there in the world.

You can find the podcast Rethinking Tech on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on⁠ Substack⁠. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on⁠ Instagram (@staywithmeherepod)⁠,⁠ Facebook⁠, or⁠ Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social)⁠.

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

⁠Erin Flanagan⁠ is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

⁠Jacob Shropshire⁠ is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.⁠

Liam Kuhns⁠ provided editing assistance for the podcast.

Top officials at the White House planned a highly-secret airstrike on Yemen in a group chat, and what's worse is they included a journalist in the group. Türkiye is seeing mass protests after President Erdogan arrested his main opponent ahead of elections. And the Sudanese Army saw modest gains against the RSF rebel forces in the country's civil war.

Then, in Have You Heard Headlines, Erin & Jake go through the rest of the week's stories to keep you in the know about what else is happening out there in the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook, or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.
Liam Kuhns provided editing assistance for the podcast.

Israel renewed the violence in Gaza, launching airstrikes that killed more than 400 people after negotiations with Hamas on a phase two of a ceasefire fell through. The U.S. is deporting Venezuelan migrants to prisons in El Salvador without any legal oversight or due process, abandoning the legal process. And Trump and Putin are calling to talk about a ceasefire in Ukraine while Europe works to build defense capacity for itself.

Then, in Have You Heard Headlines, Erin & Jake go through the rest of the week’s stories to keep you in the know about what else is happening out there in the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook (Stay With Me Here Podcast), or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.
Liam Kuhns provided editing assistance for the podcast.

Ukraine launched its largest drone strike yet against Russia, killing three people ahead of negotiations in Saudi Arabia. In Syria, sectarian violence sparked along the coastal regions between supporters of the ousted Assad regime and the new government.

Then, Jake sat down with Ishaan Srivastava of the Ishaan S. show to talk U.S. politics, including Musk, the Democrats, and more. You can check out Ishaan's show here.

In Have You Heard headlines, Erin & Jake go through the rest of the week's stories to keep you in the know about what else is happening out there in the world.

This podcast turns into an article summary at each week's episode over on Substack. We'd love for you to subscribe! You can also follow us on Instagram (@staywithmeherepod), Facebook, or Bluesky (@swmhpod.bsky.social).

Stay With Me Here is an independent project, and all views and opinions expressed in this show, and in this writeup, represent our personal views and not that of any organization we’re affiliated with.

Erin Flanagan is a former U.S. Coast Guard intelligence officer and Agence France-Presse digital investigations journalist.

Jacob Shropshire is an editorial intern at Worldcrunch and the managing editor of Peacock Media at the American University of Paris. He spent two years working for Democratic political campaigns in the U.S.

Reya Divekar provided editing assistance for the podcast.